1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern data processing device for processing pattern data with which the relative movement between a cloth to be stitched and a sewing needle (i.e., a sewing operation) is controlled to form a stitch pattern corresponding to the pattern data onto the cloth.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been conventionally utilized a sewing machine for forming on a cloth various patterns, for example, a character pattern such as numerals, alphabets, etc., a figured-pattern such as illustration, ornament, etc., a frame pattern such as a linear line, a curved line, etc., and so on. With the use of the conventional sewing machine capable of forming the above patterns on the cloth, for example, a figured pattern G, a character pattern M and a frame pattern W can be automatically and individually formed on the cloth to form a composite pattern on the cloth, as shown in each of FIGS. 18(A), 18(B) and 18(C). In the case where the composite pattern as shown in each of FIGS. 18(A) through (C) is formed on a piece of cloth, a name tag is obtained. In the case where the composite pattern is formed on an outer surface of a bag formed of cloth at its position, for example, a bag of cloth integrally formed with a name tag is obtained.
In order to perform such a composite-pattern sewing operation, every time when the sewing operation for each of the patterns G, M and W is completed, an operator has to move the cloth while paying his or her attention to a relative stitching position between a pattern to be formed next and the previously-formed pattern (hereinafter referred to as "combination position of a pattern"), and then select the pattern to be formed next, to allow the sewing machine to automatically perform the sewing operation for the next pattern. The above-described operation is repetitively carried out until when the composite pattern (e.g., a name tag pattern as shown in FIG. 18) is finally formed on the cloth.
In the conventional sewing machine as described above, therefore, the operator has to determine the combination position of each two patterns with his sense. In other words, the operator has to move the cloth to the desired combination position for the next pattern manually paying his attention to the position. Therefore, the conventional sewing machine has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to accurately locate each pattern at a corresponding desired position (i.e., to accurately combine a plurality of patterns with one another at relative suitable positions with respect to one another). This is because the operator may not accurately grasp a size of a respective one of the plural patterns, a stitch-starting position and a stitch-ending position of the respective one of the plural patterns which are individually different from one another. Therefore, there has been conventionally frequently occurred the problem that a character array (an array of character patterns) erroneously protrudes beyond a frame pattern or the problem that patterns which are required to be linked with each other in design are formed erroneously separately from each other.